Malaysia makes arrests in immigration department scandal

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police said on Thursday (Jun 9) more than 10 people have been arrested after an investigation found immigration department staff had colluded with criminal groups to manipulate information on who entered or left the country, local media said.

The subterfuge was centred at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and had begun in 2010, the department’s director-general, Sakib Kusmi, earlier said.

“We are still investigating. So far we have made more than 10 arrests and have seized documents from them as well,” national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar was quoted as saying by English-language newspaper The Star.

Five of those arrested were reportedly immigration department officers, while the roles of the others were not immediately clear.